Letters to Ettie {14 months}

To my wonderful little Arrietty

You’re 14 months old now and I can’t quite believe it! The 23rd was upon us without a moment’s notice and all of a sudden you’re not a baby anymore, but a cheeky little independent person with your own personality and ideas!

You’ve started showing an interest in clothes and often pull things out of your draws asking us to dress you. After initially loving your first pair of shoes, I think you’ve decided you liked your Jelly shoes more because you keep bringing them to us even though they don’t fit you anymore. You also love your little Denim jacket and stand with a big grin on your face when we put it on you. Such a cool little dude!

One of your favourite games at the moment is getting Mummy’s lipsticks out of the draw and pulling the lids off. I even caught you putting some on your lips on Tuesday. You’re learning so much so quickly, my little baby girl so quickly becoming a toddler. I asked you if you’d like a bed time story the other evening, a sort of rhetorical question which I always ask when putting you to bed, but to my amazement you picked yourself up off the floor, walked over to the bookcase and brought me your rabbit book for me to read. My heard almost burst! It may seem like a little thing to you, but for the past 14 months, I’ve been the communicator, rambling away making funny noises to keep you entertained, and all of a sudden you understand me. I think I better come up with more interesting things to talk about!

I’ve been going to work 3 days a week for the past few weeks now and I think you’ve found the transition hard. We were together so much before and I don’t think you’re used to me being away from you for such long periods of time. It hurts my heart so see you upset and I’d do anything to make you smile, but I know you’re such a sociable, chatty little bean, that you’ll absolutely love playing with the other children once it’s all a bit less strange. Plus we’ll be able to have lots more adventures with the extra money I make. My work have been really lovely about it too, letting me come and rescue you when you really weren’t happy, so we’ve still been having lots of fun.

At the start of the month, we collected your first pair of shoes with Granny. You absolutely LOVE shoes!! It’s such a funny little thing! When Daddy and I took you to get your feet measured you actually cried because you didn’t want to leave the shop. You were having the time of your life picking the little shoes off the shelf and bringing them over to show us, then running to the front of the shop wearing the ones we tried on you. You have such tiny feet, we had to try three places before finding a pair that fit you, a little pair of pink sandals. When we brought them home you took them straight over to Daddy to show him.

You’re a lot steadier on your feet this month, running everywhere and even trying to jump to the music. You love being chased and have started to hide behind things so we can come and find you, your little cheeky face peering around corners waiting for us to pounce. I took you for a walk to Brighton last week and you found it hilarious running off and hiding behind the beach huts, shouting Boo whenever our eyes made contact, then happily running off and giggling to yourself. Daddy sometimes chases you around the kitchen & you jump up into my arms for protection, squealing with delight as he tickles your feet. Its so funny to be a part of. I love our little family with all my heart.

This month you’ve learned a few more words like ‘Nana’ (for banana, your all-time favourite food) and ‘Ta’ and you can say ‘woof woof’ when we ask you what the Doggy says. You get so excited about saying it, although I think you think all animals make the same noise because you give us the same answer when we ask ‘what does a duck say?’ too.

You still LOVE food too, in fact no one can believe quite how much you eat for such a little person. I took you out for pizza with Arlo and you ate almost a full 6ich pizza!! I don’t know where you put it all!

My favourite thing at the moment is the huge hug you give me in the morning when I collect you from your cot. You’re still not the greatest sleeper so we’ve never been apart for more than a few hours, but to you thats enough and your little arms cling tightly around my neck as I scoop you up and bring you back to bed with us.

We absolutely love our mornings with you, I don’t think there’s been a morning since you were born that one of us hasn’t been late for work. Sometimes you wake up first and pat one of us on the head with your little palm or pull our hair to make sure that we’re awake! You then get down and walk around the bed, investigating anything of interest which you find on the floor before getting to Daddy’s bedside table and pulling the gold candle off the top. You prize open with your little fingers and dig your nails in the wax. We tried to stop you for weeks in case you put it in your mouth, but I think you think its cream because you like rubbing it on your legs! I think you’ve watched Mummy getting ready to much!

We’ve had lots of adventures this month, like soft play with Eddie, going to Wakehurst on your trike, going to the farm with Arthur and going camping for the first time. You’re still a bit wary of animals and weren’t very happy when the little sausage dog came to say hello, but I think you’re getting braver. Your hair is getting really long now too, after sporting the bam bam look all of last month, I added some pigtails this month and you look too adorable!! I didn’t think it possible but it makes you even cuter!! I say it every month, but this is definitely my favourite age so far, my little Ettie Willow and I can’t wait to see what the next month has in store.

I love you with all my heart my amazing darling daughter. You truly are the greatest little person in the whole wide world make me happy beyond belief!